Hi,
I have a upvc window with an opening top light and the handle mechanism is totally shot. Taken off handle and tried a pair of big mole grips on the protruding square bar but to no avail the mech is borked. This means the roller catches and shoot bolts etc are in the locked position and there’s no access to them as the frame covers them. So i can jemmy the frame up but seriously risk cracking or smashing the big pane of glass below so not too keen on this. The only thing left i can think of is to drill out the plastic frame front to gain access to the bolts and podger them over with a screwdriver. This will render the frame damaged beyond reasonable repair but we are looking to replace this or next year anyway.

Is this my only option and will it even work or is there some magical way to open the window i’ve not thought of (really strong magnets or something daft?)

Take the glass out, should then be able to access mechanism

i did wonder this but looking at another window it looked like it wouldn’t give access to the mech?

I’ve got the same problem with one of mine! Sorry not much use!

No help here, just bookmarking as i have same issue.

Dont think removing glass will help, didnt for me anyway. The cheap shitty metal the rod from the handle goes into and turns the mechanism has bust on mine.

I “think” that it may not be the mechanism itself but the studs on the sliding bar that have become more or less corroded into the locking plates on the frame.
Has happened to me, but I was lucky and freed it by brute force. As it was the small top opener on the upstairs bathroom I took the plates off the frame,just leaving the side slots for the locking bar to slot into.
Don’t know how to get at those bits without cutting the frame apart.

Moral is to keep those bits well lubed.

Had this recently- had to take the glass out (well, my friend who is far less inept at such things did…!).

Depending on tge furniture taking the glass out may help, the sash is individual with the slider underneath but some of 8t may be visible for wd40 flooding . Have you tried a pair of stilsons on the spindle. As above its likely corroded.
Thinking about it you could possibly take both panes out and then get a bar in to perhaps break any corrosion. There will be two drain holes in the top sash which when removing the glass may alao enable you to flood it with wd40 or similar, these may just face drain though.

On mine the handle turns freely, like it isn’t doing anything. Local window fitter said he knew what had happened and it was a brute force job to sort it, still not had it done though. He also said to keep everything lubed up as mentioned above.